Influence of the concrete mechanical properties on the efficacy of the shear strengthening intervention on RC beams by NSM technique

Abstract

The occurrence of a failure mode, different from debonding, consisting on the detachment, from the beam core, of “two concrete lateral walls” containing the glued laminates, highlights the paramount importance of concrete mechanical properties on the effectiveness of NSM shear strengthening technique. A new mechanical-analytical interpretation of the phenomenon affecting the ultimate behaviour of RC beams NSM-strengthened in shear is presented along with the main findings. This approach takes into account the possibility that the shear strengthening contribution of the NSM laminates can be limited by the three following failure modes: debonding, concrete tensile fracture and laminates’ tensile rupture. The interaction between laminates can be also accounted for. The proposed mechanical interpretation of the NSM laminates behaviour can be extended to NSM rods.